1. Superconducting conductors

A superconducting conductor depends not only on the value of the transport current, but also on the operating conditions. Operating temperature, magnetic induction and mechanical stress are important parameters. Other factors, such as temporal variations in induction, cooling conditions and the disturbance spectrum, also come into play.

For various reasons, such as the twisting pitch in particular, the diameter of an elementary superconducting strand is limited. To carry high currents, it is therefore essential to assemble strands in parallel, taking care to balance the currents by correct transposition. Figure 1 shows some examples of superconducting conductors.

In practice, a superconducting conductor has to be designed for each specific application....